With a host of acknowledgements, including two Grammy nominations at the upcoming gala, musician Anoushka Shankar has a lot to look forward to. She shares why the last five years of her 30-year-long journey have been particularly instrumental
Anoushka Shankar
Seated before us for this interview, Anoushka Shankar has eyes pinned on her owing to her grace and beauty. She doesn’t carry the weight of her multiple accolades, including the 11 Grammy nominations she has received in the last 20 years, or the Oxford honorary doctorate that she was awarded a few months ago. The latter, she says, made her feel “very grown up and proper.” “Honorary doctorates are rarely [given]. I would joke about [receiving] them. A university does not take the decision to give it lightly. It’s a recognition of being an expert in the field,” she says, still seemingly giddy with the title, even as she has her eyes set on the upcoming Grammy Awards, in which she will vie for two gongs.
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In this interview, Shankar discusses being nominated in the Best Global Music Performance and New Age Album categories, and the making of Chapter III: We Return To Light, the last of her miniseries.
Edited excerpts of the interview.
In our past conversations, you have, though not critically, referred to the fact that the categories in which you are often nominated, including Global Music Performance, may seem restrictive.
I did, probably critically too. I’ve had a long journey, so I don’t know if my opinions have changed. But I have a greater understanding of the industry and how things work. Music, on one side, is an art form. I do this because I love it and because it speaks to my soul. And on the other side, it’s a career. And this [Grammy nominations] definitely falls into that side of things. These are job-related things. The way the industry is carved out globally is tricky—the Global Music and New Age Music categories are known to be the hardest categories because they’re not niche. People who vote within categories are experts within that field of music. Global music is everything that’s not from Europe and America; basically, music of every kind, every culture, and every time period. There are no experts, as such, that can vote with the same level of expertise across those categories. So, while all the awards are subjective, these become even more subjective. It’s really down to who the voters in those years are.
A Grammy nomination in itself is of great importance for any artiste. A lot of people, however, want to attach importance to winning it. Having received 11 nominations in 20 years, do you still see a win as essential?
We’re back to discussing the music business. These things have commercial value—if you’re a Grammy nominee, that affects people subconsciously. If you say you are a Grammy winner, that’s more impressive. So, hypothetically, winning would have some prestige attached to it. But someone told me on my eighth loss, ‘Getting nominated over and over again is a career. One potential win, and then never being heard of again, is a flash in the pan.’ So, to be nominated again and again is a huge honour. And, if I have to be really frank, other than the few artistes, like my father [Pandit Ravi Shankar], Zakir uncle [Hussain], and legends who transcend everything, for the rest, it’s down to who’s willing to play the game, who does the networking, and who shows up for the nomination branches. To people who are willing to put in that effort, it’s cool. But that’s not for me.
I feel each chapter of the miniseries has gotten better. After all these years in the industry, what do you continue to do to hone your craft?
In February, I will mark my 30th anniversary [as a musician]. So, there’s been a long arc of progression. But in the last few years, my focus has been on removing as much filter between me and my music as possible. That means allowing myself to be more vulnerable and allowing people [access] into my craft and the emotions that [lead to] my music. It can seem to be intimidating. I’m just making melodies; music that people can connect to, emotionally. So, I’m simplifying it. I’m choosing to call it play, instead of practice. And that changes the attitude of how I approach my music. It’s playful; about making connection. Creating vulnerability and closeness with my instrument has been a big part of my recent journey. Also, when you collaborate with another artiste, especially from a different traditional culture, you open yourself up to this whole other world and style of music.
Does being vulnerable make you a better musician?
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that music is my therapy. It might be my outlet, but it’s not my therapy. My therapy is my therapy. Growing up, having difficult experiences, and learning from that, I know that we all need each other. I have a language for my experiences. I also have experiences that I can help others with. Having endured a difficult phase puts me in a place where I can help someone else. I started to apply that in my art.
When we hear music that artistes of your kind create, we wonder if there’s scope to bring that within the mainstream music space. Do you believe there is scope to bridge these areas?
There is a lot of scope to use a wide range of music in Indian films and broaden the range of music that exists. But it needs people who are willing to take that chance. Within the music and film industries, across the globe, everything is getting narrower—the people who take the financial decisions take the safest decisions because they feel like it’s guaranteed to give back what they invest. It’s understandable. But there’s an element of risk-taking that needs to happen if you want to go broad. Because Indian cinema has opened up to such a large extent, there will be a ripple effect, and a lot more rooms will open up for the kind of music that supports this.
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